The Strawberry Ninja
by Captain Omnitron
Summary: Ichigo Kurosaki has come to Konoha and Team 7 will never be the same! Summary suck but it's better than it sounds I promise! UP FOR ADOPTION!
1. Chapter 1

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Author's Note: This is a story I've been wanting to do for a while. Now there isn't any alternate dimensions, time travel, reincarnation, or anything like that going on, because there are far to many Naruto/Bleach crossovers with those kind of cliches(No offense to the authors of those stories intended). Basically Ichigo is a ninja from a destroyed village that comes to Konoha with his sisters. The Naruto characters are their Shippuden ages but this isn't really set in any time frame from the series. I'm toying with the idea of an IchigoxAnko pairing but you guys can tell me if you like the sound of that, if not I have a few others in mind.

Chapter 1: The Reaper Arrives

It was a warm summer day. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining and three travelers were walking down the road to Konoha. It was an orange haired 16 year old boy who wore a black tattered coat, black pants, black ninja shoes, and had a large sword wrapped in white bandages on his back, with a red strap across his chest. The other 2 were girls that looked about 10, one with blonde hair and one with black hair.

"Ichigo! How much further is it?" The blond girl asked the orange haired teen walking beside her. He sighed and replied,

"Like I said 15 minutes ago, a couple more miles Yuzu." the other girl groaned and said,

"You don't have a clue where it is do you?" Ichigo sighed again and replied,

"Yes Karin. For the 45th time, I know where we're going." Karin looked at Ichigo skeptically but decided not to say anything more, at least for the moment. The three travelers soon saw 4 ninja headed up the road. As they got closer Karin asked them,

"Hey. How much farther to Konoha?" The man with the big bushy eye brows and green spandex outfit replied,

"Just another hour if you keep heading the way your going. LET THE FLAMES OF YOUTH GUIDE YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION!" Then one of their group, who could pass for a clone of the older man, said,

"YES! LISTEN TO GAI SENSEI!" The rest of his team face palmed and dragged him off, apologizing for his stupidity. After disregarding the green clad lunatics Ichigo, Karin, and Yuzu continued. Sure enough the green nut job was right and they reached the gates of Konoha in an hour. Ichigo went to the check in station and said,

"Hey I'm here to see the Hokage." After explaining his intentions they told him the way to the Hokage Tower. After waiting for about 6 minutes they entered the Hokage's office.

"So you want to move to into the village Mr. Kurosaki?" Ichigo nodded and said,

"Yeah. Me and my little sisters are from Karakura. It got destroyed by a rouge ninja named Aizen." Tsunade thought for a moment and then said,

"From the looks of you, I'd say you're a ninja so I assume you'll want to join the Leaf's ranks? If you do I'll need to know what level you are." Ichigo replied,

"Yes I do and I'm a chunin." Tsunade pulled out a form and handed it to him to fill out. After he filled it out, Tsunade asked,

"What about you're sisters? Do they want to join the Academy?" Yuzu shook her head no, while Karin shook hers yes. After writing up the paperwork the Kurosaki's were Konoha citizens.

"Alright Ichigo I've got a team that's short someone, so I'm assigning you to Team 7. I'll arrange for you to meet your teammates tomorrow but in the mean time here's the address of an apartment that will suit your needs. Just tell the landlord I sent you and he'll let you stay the first month free of charge." Ichigo took the slip of paper and exited with his sisters. They walked down the streets until they reached the place. After getting the keys to the apartment they headed up the stairs inspect it. It was a fairly small place but big enough for them. Ichigo thought that if they managed their money right they could move into something a little bigger in a few months.

"Well you guys unpack, I'm gonna go get dinner." Ichigo said as he exited the apartment. He walked down the streets looking for the cheapest restaurant he could find. He soon came across a ramen place.

'Ramen huh? Well that should be pretty cheap.' He thought as he entered the establishment. Placed his order and sat down to wait. Soon an orange streak went past him and hid under the counter. Ichigo looked and saw a boy about his age with spiky blonde hair that was wearing an orange and black jumpsuit.

"Don't let her know I'm here." He whispered. Ichigo gave a confused looked and was about to say something but a voice yelled,

"NARUTO!" Ichigo looked and saw a pink haired girl stomping down the street. She entered and grabbed the boy who Ichigo assumed to be Naruto from under the counter. She dragged him out into the street and began shaking him yelling at him. Ichigo knew he shouldn't get involved, but he couldn't help but step in. He walked up to the pair and asked,

"Okay what did he do?" The pink haired girl turned and said,

"I just got out of the shower and this jerk just barged into my house without knocking and saw me without my shirt on!" the blond boy struggled to get free as he said,

"Come on Sakura! It was an accident!" She growled and continued to shake him until Ichigo gabbed her arm and said,

"Sounds like an innocent accident to me. I think you might be over reacting." Sakura growled and let Naruto go and threw a punch at Ichigo causing a loud boom. When the dust cleared Ichigo was unharmed and holding her fist in his hand. Sakura was shocked to say the least. She had never met anyone who could take one of her punches, let alone catch it and come out unscathed.

"Sir, your orders are ready!" The owner of the ramen stand called out. Ichigo let go of Sakura's fist and got the 3 bowls of ramen and headed home. Naruto and Sakura stood in shock unable to say anything.

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 2: A Training Session to Remember

After dinner Ichigo decided to go to bed early. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day tomorrow so he thought it best to get as much sleep as he could. Ichigo tossed and turned in his bed, it was clear that he was having a nightmare. He writhed and wriggled as though in pain and clawed at his sweat covered chest. He suddenly woke up with a large gasp. He looked around trying to make sure it was over. He looked out the window and saw it was still night time and sighed with relief, that is until he saw his reflection in the glass. It was him only with ghostly white skin, chalk white hair, and yellow and black eyes. The ghostly image smiled evilly and said,

"**You failed her King" **After this Ichigo woke up screaming,

"RUKIA!" At this Yuzu and Karin came running into Ichigo's room.

"Ichigo are you alright?" Yuzu asked in a panicked tone. Ichigo forcibly calmed himself. He hated to make his sisters worry about him. He looked at Yuzu and smiled as he said,

"Yeah just a little bad dream. Go back to sleep." Yuzu slowly nodded and left but Karin stayed as she wasn't convinced. She stared at her older brother for a few minutes before saying,

"You know you did everything you could Ichigo. Rukia wouldn't want you punishing yourself like this and it won't be long before Yuzu stops believing your excuses." Ichigo didn't say anything, he only stared at his reflection in the window. Karin left and Ichigo laid back down the dream still fresh in his mind. He looked at his clock and it read 5:30. Ichigo sighed, he was supposed to meet his new team in 2 hours at a training field, so he decided to get up and get ready. He put on his clothes and strapped his sword to his back. He picked up his new white forehead protector and tied it around his waist like a belt. He left a note on the fridge telling his sisters he left and would be back later. He left for the training ground he was supposed to meet them at. He sat down and leaned on a tree and began to wait. Before long, he saw three people coming up. He saw a girl with long dark hair and pale eyes. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized the other 2. It was Naruto and that Sakura girl from yesterday! When they walked up Naruto shook Ichigo's hand while Sakura glared at him.

"So you guys are my new team?" Ichigo asked.

"Well 2 of us are anyway. This is Hinata, she's my girlfriend. Her team was busy today so she wanted to tag along." Naruto said as he put his arm around Hinata causing her to blush a little.

"I don't believe it. Three months of dating and she still blushes when I touch her." Hinata smiled but her blush deepened. After telling Ichigo they were waiting for their Sensei, Sakura was clearly getting angry. Ichigo picked up on this and asked if she was alright. Sakura snapped and yelled at him,

"I WANNA FIGHT YOU!" Ichigo looked at her with a confused look before asking,

"Why? Is this about yesterday?" Sakura gave him a death glare and replied,

"No one has ever done that to me before, and I'm not gonna let some stranger come here and show me up." Ichigo sighed, he could tell that there was no talking his way out of this. Ichigo walked a few feet away, got into a fighting stance, and gave a signal that he was ready. Sakura charged with a punch which Ichigo caught. Sakura growled and threw another which Ichigo caught with his other hand. Ichigo then did a back flip and kicked Sakura in the chin sending her flying back. Sakura growled and slammed her fist into the ground and made a shock wave that shattered the ground around her. She looked around and didn't see Ichigo. She smiled and she thought she won. Suddenly she felt cold metal against her neck. She looked and saw Ichigo holding what looked like a giant clever to her neck. Ichigo smirked and said,

"I win." Sakura was still extremely angry but she relented. Ichigo pulled the blade away from her neck, just as a masked man with silver hair appeared.

"Well that was quite the show. I think that you'll do just fine." Sakura was still fuming but managed to say,

"Hello Kakashi-Sensei. He's pretty good I guess." kakashi nodded and said,

"Alright. Now the real training begins!"

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Author's Note: Thanks for all the the reviews guys! Now to answer Xemmnas's question. Ichigo will have a Kekkei Genkai but it will be different because of his Hollow powers. I'll go into further detail when he uses it but it will have something to do with Aizen as to why his is different from his sisters.

Chapter 3: Shadow Clones VS Bankai

"Alright. Since Sakura couldn't wait for me to get here, she's gonna sit this one out and watch while Naruto and Ichigo go at it." Kakashi said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Naruto smiled as he got into fighting position. Ichigo got ready with his sword and asked,

"No holding back right?" Naruto nodded and made a hand sign as he said,

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" And 100 Naruto's appeared. Ichigo smirked and pointed his massive blade at the Naruto army and simply said,

"Bankai." and a massive explosion of chakra made all the dust on the ground cloud the area. After the dust settled, everyone saw that Ichigo's sword had changed. It was no longer a giant clever but instead a simple katana with a black blade.

"Tesa Zangetsu" Ichigo said as Naruto and his clones stood awestruck. Naruto snapped out of his amazement and charged. The clones closed in ready to attack but just when they were about to make contact, Ichigo disappeared. The clones hit the dirt hard and disappeared. Everyone's eyes went wide as Naruto's clones were defeated left and right by a black streak. Soon there were only 2 Naruto's left. Ichigo stopped running and appeared a few yards away from Naruto.

'Wow. He's just as fast as Bushy Brow!' Naruto thought. Naruto got an idea and began to activate his ultimate attack.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto yelled as he ran forward toward Ichigo. Ichigo could feel the huge amount of chakra coming from that attack and gripped his sword tight, as he said,

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" and swung his sword at Naruto sending a massive crescent wave of chakra toward Naruto who hit it with his Rasengan at point blank range, send some of Ichigo's attack back at him and causing a huge explosion. After the smoke cleared both laid in a crater in the ground.

"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed as she, Kakashi and Sakura ran toward the crater. When they reached the crater they saw a badly bruised Naruto and a bloody Ichigo slowly get up.

"Your...pretty...good." Naruto said breathlessly. Ichigo, whose sword had reverted back to it's giant clever state, replied in a pained growl,

"Thanks. Not...to bad...yourself." both then passed out. Sakura ran down into the hole and healed Naruto. Kakashi eyed her and said,

"You'll have to heal Ichigo to." Sakura glared at the blood covered boy and decided that she should, though she didn't have to like it. Ichigo woke up in a hospital 3 hours later wrapped like a mummy. He didn't see Naruto anywhere, though he assumed that was because Naruto was in a little better shape than him. At any rate it seemed as though he'd be there for a couple days. He groaned as he sat up a little.

"Finally awake huh? 'Bout time. I was getting board, so got a name?" A female voice asked him. He looked over and saw a girl about his age with dark purple hair in a ponytail in a bed next to him. She had her right arm in a sling and her left leg in a cast. Ichigo cleared his throat a little and said,

"Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki. And you?" The girl replied,

"Anko Mitarashi. Ichigo huh? Nice to meet ya Strawberry!" Ichigo growled slightly, he really hated it when people called him that.

"Aw relax. I'm just yanking your chain! So what happened to you? I got jumped by a few Sound Ninja on a mission." Ichigo calmed down a little and replied,

"I was training with my new team and we got a little carried away." Anko nodded and said,

"Well then I'll just have to train with you sometime and see what you got, because if you put yourself in the hospital just from training then you must put up a good fight!" Ichigo cringed slightly, she was sounding a little to much like Kenpachi Zaraki for his taste. They spent the next hour talking and getting to know each other better, as it was about the only thing they could do aside from sleep. Soon the doctor came in and told Ichigo he could head home but to take it as easy as possible.

"Bye Anko. I'll come by and visit you sometime." Anko just nodded as Ichigo left for home. When Ichigo opened the door to his apartment he cringed to the sound of a panicked Yuzu saw his bandages and yelled,

"ICHIGO! WHAT HAPPENED!" He casually walked over to the couch and sat down as he said,

"Training with the new team got a little out of hand. Doctor said to take it easy for a couple days and I'll be good as new." Yuzu was still worried but calmed down when she heard it wasn't serious. Yuzu sat on the couch and asked,

"So what else happended?" Ichigo thought for a moment and replied,

"Well I met a girl." Yuzu's face lit up and hugged brother. Ichigo groaned a little but smiled and hugged her back. Karin walked into the room and saw her siblings on he couch.

"What's up? Ichigo got beat up again?" Ichigo scowled a little at the statement but replied,

"Yeah well I messed the other guy up to so it was draw." Karin waved off him, not believing it and sat down next to him.

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 4: She's Not my Girlfriend!

Over the course of the next few weeks Ichigo kept true to his word and visited Anko often. He'd usually come by and talk for a few minutes, telling her about the mission he did that day or a few stories from his days in Karakura. Soon Anko was released from the hospital and the doctors said she could return to active duty in a couple of weeks. Ichigo walked her back to her apartment and made sure she was comfortable.

"You know most people wouldn't do all this for me." Anko said. Ichigo froze and asked,

"Why's that?" Anko sighed and said,

"Well I already told that Orochimaru used to be my Sensei." Ichigo nodded as she continued,

"Before he went rogue he gave me a curse mark and tried to get me to leave with him. I didn't. But when it was found out he went traitor, I was pretty much treated like the plague. After all I was pretty close to him." She cringed at saying that. Ichigo looked at her sympathetically and said,

"I know what that's like. A lot of people treated me like that back in Karakura, but that's a story for later." Ichigo then made sure she was alright before he left. He walked down the streets headed to his apartment, but soon heard a noise that made him shudder.

"HEY ICHIGO!" He sighed, it was Naruto. Naruto walked up to him with Hinata along side him.

"So what's going on? Your date with Anko over already?" Ichigo scowled at the blond headed ninja and said,

"It wasn't a date. I was just making sure she got home alright, she did just get out of the hospital." Naruto smirked and replied,

"Well okay. But what about all those times you visited her? All that alone time?" Ichigo, still scowling at the knucklehead ninja, said,

"She's just a friend. That's all." Naruto was still not convinced and said,

"Well me and Hinata were just friends before we started dating." Ichigo was about to yell at the stubborn ninja, but a thought came to his head instead,

"Wait. Didn't you tell me that Hinata was in love with you since you were 12?" Naruto just stammered like an idiot while Hinata blushed.

"Now for the last time. Anko and I are not dating. We. Are. Not. A COUPLE!" Ichigo didn't mean to sound that harsh but he was at his wits end with the idiotic conversation . Ichigo continued on his way home. He entered his apartment and was met with a highly curious Yuzu, who wanted to know everything about his "Date". Ichigo just plopped down in a chair and said,

"It wasn't a date. Anko and I are just friends." Yuzu frowned a little at this and said,

"Well just because you're only friends not doesn't mean you can't be more in the future!" Ichigo sighed and said,

"Look Yuzu, I just don't want a girlfriend right now. Maybe someday but not right now." and with that he got up and went to his room, leaving a confused Yuzu. Karin soon entered the room, carrying a few books she needed for the Academy.

"Karin, you know know that girl Ichigo's been going to see?" Karin nodded as Yuzu continued,

"Well he says that she isn't his girlfriend and that he doesn't want one." Karin sighed and asked her sister,

"Do you remember how much it hurt when Mom and Dad died?" Yuzu nodded slowly at the painful memory.

"Well that's how much Ichigo is hurting. It's because of Rukia. He thinks that he could have saved her. He doesn't want a girlfriend because he thinks it would dishonoring Rukia's memory." Karin said as she took her books to her room. Ichigo sat on his bed looking at a picture of himself and a rather short girl with black hair and violet eyes.

"Rukia. I'm so sorry." He said quietly as he continued to look at the picture. He looked over at his clock and realized that he was supposed to meet his team at the Hokage Tower for their next mission in a few minutes. He strapped his sword to his back and left, passing Karin who said,

"It won't kill you to be happy Ichigo. It's been 2 years, Rukia would want you to move on." Ichigo froze at his sister's words, but slowly started walking again and left. He reached the tower with a few minutes to spare and entered Tsunade's office. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were already there as Tsunade opened a file and said,

"We have reports of a rogue ninja a few miles away, and I want you to investigate. The target's name is Grimmjow Jeagerjaques." Ichigo's eyes widened at the mention of the name.

"So what does he look like?" Naruto asked. Tsunade held up a picture of the target. He had blue hair and something that looked like a jawbone attached to the right side of his face. Ichigo's surprise look turned to one of hatred as he glared at the photo. Team 7 soon departed, heading for the location of the last sighting of Grimmjow.

'I'm gonna me you pay Grimmjow. I promise you'll pay.' Ichigo thought as he jumped through the treetops with his team.

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 5: Panther's Prey

Team 7 reached area where their target was last sighted. They scanned the area, and everyone was on edge. Naruto say a house and went to see if anyone was home. He went to knock but the door was already opened. He poked his head in and shouted in disgust. It was a horrible sight. Mutilated bodies were piled everywhere, and the words "Grimmjow was here" were written on the wall in fresh blood. After nearly vomiting Naruto walked back to his team to tell them what he found. Ichigo was getting angrier and angrier, and this didn't go unnoticed by his team. They assumed it was because of the innocent lives that were taken, and they were half right. Ichigo was angry at this travesty alright, but he was even more angry at himself. He had the chance to kill Grimmjow before, and save all the lives that monster took, but he was hellbent on finishing the job he started back in Karakura. The team continued their search for the psychotic ninja. They searched for hours but found no trace of him. After a while they decided to regroup.

"I think we should split up. We'll cover more ground." Kakashi said. Naruto and Sakura agreed. Ichigo didn't like the idea at all, but he knew it was the best way to find him. Naruto headed north, Sakura south, Kakashi east, and Ichigo west. Sakura was getting a very bad feeling, like something was watching her but couldn't tell if it was real, or paranoia from the disturbing sight from the house. Suddenly she heard a sinister chuckle. She slowly turned and saw a blue haired man with what looked like an animal jawbone attached to the right side of his face. Then with lightning fast speed the man grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into a tree. He grabbed his sword and held it up to her neck, smiling wickedly as he said,

"You might wanna scream now." Kakashi, Naruto, and Ichigo, all heard the bloodcurdling shriek and raced toward it. Naruto was the first to reach the location of the scream, and fell to his knees yelling in rage. Ichigo and Kakashi arrived moments later to see Naruto sitting next to a bloody lifeless body.

"Sakura." Naruto whispered as he closed her eyes. Ichigo was fuming now and yelled at the top of his lungs,

"GRIMMJOW! COME OUT! I KNOW YOU'RE STILL HERE!" Suddenly a dark and sinister laugh echoed through the forest.

"Kurosaki is that you? Oh I'm sorry was that your new girlfriend? Or are you still mourning over that little midget girl? Rukia wasn't it?" A voice said. Ichigo yelled back,

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME!" the voice laughed again and said,

"O-o-o-oh. Struck a nerve did I?" Ichigo growled and yelled again,

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Suddenly Grimmjow stepped into view. Ichigo drew his giant sword and charged. Grimmjow drew his sword and began blocking the barrage of hits.

"YEAH! That's the kind of fire I like to see!" Grimmjow exclaimed as he continued the sword fight. Ichigo jumped back and pointed his sword toward Grimmjow and yelled,

"BANKAI!" And an explosion of chakra erupted. The dust cleared and Ichigo now held a black bladed katana instead of his giant clever.

"Tesa Zangetsu." Ichigo said with a deadly calmness. Grimmjow smiled widely and grabbed his sword and stroked the blade with his hand as he yelled,

"GRIND! PANTERA!" and in an explosion of chakra similar to Ichigo's Grimmjow stood transformed. His sword had disappeared, his hair was longer, he was wearing a white full body suit, the jawbone on his face had disappeared, he had cat like ears, fangs, a tail, and claws. Kakashi and Naruto were shocked. Ichigo disappeared and reappeared in front of Grimmjow ready to slash him. Grimmjow grabbed the sword and threw Ichigo away.

"Yeah! Now this is gonna be fun! The only thing missing is that mask of yours! Come on! Bring it out! Don't hold back!" Icgigo then held his hand up, gripping his face and a white liquid substance began coming from his eyes. It spread around his face and formed a skull mask with horizontal red stripes across the left side. Ichigo's eyes also turned yellow and black. Naruto and Kakashi could feel the sheer amount of chakra Ichigo was giving off, yet something was different about it. His chakra had become dark and gave a slightly evil feel.

"Now you'll die Grimmjow." Ichigo said in a slightly distorted voice. Grimmjow chuckled and charged forward with lightning fast speed. Naruto's anger was building, he was ready to kill this man for what he did to Sakura. He could feel the 9 Tails chakra filling him. Naruto's canines grew longer, his ears grew to a point, and a red chakra aura surrounded him as he charged toward Grimmjow along side Ichigo. As all 3 combatants collided, all hell broke loose.

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 6: Hollow and Jinchuriki VS Espada!

Naruto charged into the fight like a wild animal. Kakashi could only stand back and leave this battle to the Jinchuriki and the masked swordsman. Naruto clawed and slashed at the Ex-Espada with animalistic rage, he was only focused on the death of Sakura's murderer. Ichigo was slightly taken aback by Naruto's ferocity, and even more so at his transformation. But now wasn't the time for surprise. Ichigo began slashing at Grimmjow with astounding speed, each attack merely a blur to the naked eye. The cat like ninja was expertly dodging and blocking Ichigo's sword and Naruto's claws and punches. Naruto ran up and threw punch aimed for Grimmjow's face. The blue haired maniac jumped in the air, dodging the attack, and kicked Naruto into a tree. Naruto got up and roared as he made a giant clawed hand made of the Fox's chakra, and grabbed Grimmjow. Naruto began mercilessly smashing the feline ninja into the ground, and then threw him at Ichigo who made a slash with his sword sending a dark wave of chakra at Grimmjow, causing a deep cut across his chest. Grimmjow growled and pointed his elbow toward Ichigo and fired spikes at him. Ichigo deflected them with his sword and charged at full speed toward the Panther. Grimmjow blocked the incoming sword with his armored arm, causing a resounding boom. Naruto then sent a chakra fist toward Grimmjow, sending him flying about a mile into the forest. Naruto and Ichigo were about to give chase before Kakashi stopped them saying,

"You won't beat him without some kind of game plan." Ichigo looked at the silver haired jonin and replied in a deep and slightly distorted voice,

"What do you have in mind?" kakashi thought for a moment and said,

"Do you remember the first training session you two had?" Ichigo remembered alright, it was the first time he was sent to the emergency room because of training.

"Wait. I get what he means. Remember what happened when my Rasengan hit your Getsuga Tensho?" Naruto said in an animal like growl. Ichigo nodded as he remembered the explosion.

"Now what if we did that to Grimmjow? Since we're both powered up it'll definitely be a kill shot." Although no one could tell it, Ichigo was grinning underneath his mask.

"Wait are you sure you can get close enough to use your Rasengan?" Ichigo asked Naruto.

"Don't have to, I have a long range version. It's a little more complicated and it takes a little longer to make but it works the same." Naruto growled out. Ichigo nodded as he spotted Grimmjow heading straight for them. Naruto and Ichigo dodged as Grimmjow flew straight past them. Kakashi and Ichigo attacked Grimmjow, drawing him away from Naruto.

"We'll keep him busy! Naruto get ready!" Ichigo said as he continued to engage Grimmjow. Naruto made 2 Shadow Clones, one began spinning chakra and the other began shaping it into what looked like a large shuriken. Kakashi activated his Chidori and charged at Grimmjow who dodged, but not entirely. Kakashi managed to plow through Grimmjow's arm, severing it completely.

"AAAAARGH! YOU BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THAT!" Grimmjow roared as he charged toward Kakashi and grabbed his neck. But before he knew what happened Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"WIND RELEASE: RASENGASHURIKEN!" Naruto yelled as he threw a giant shuriken made of chakra at Grimmjow. Ichigo then ran to the other side of the feline ninja and held his sword up in the air, gripping it tight, and yelled,

"GETSUGA TENSHO!" as he brought his sword downward in a slashing motion, sending a giant wave of black and red chakra toward the Ex-Espada. Grimmjow was caught in the center of the gigantic explosion, and began screaming in agony. Naruto returned to normal, as Ichigo's mask fell apart and his eyes returned to normal. Grimmjow laid a bloody and mangled mess on the ground. Ichigo walked over to the corpse and said,

"It's over Rukia. It's finally over. I hope you can forgive me now." Naruto and Kakashi heard this and bowed their heads, in honor of the girl Ichigo mourned over. They then went over to Sakura's corpse. Naruto said slightly sobbing,

"I'm sorry Sakura. I'm sorry you'll never get to see Sasuke return. I'm sorry that you won't be there when I'm Hokage. And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

The walk home was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Ichigo looked over at Naruto who was carrying Sakura's body, and saw the blank look on his face. The orange haired ninja knew it would be a long time before Naruto would be back to his normal self, and even then he'd never be quite the same. Losing a close friend does that to you, Ichigo knew from experience. When they got back the first thing they did was head for Tsunade's office, to make their report and preparations for the funeral.

"So how did the mission go?" Tsunade asked as the 3 ninja entered her office. Her eyes widened as she noticed Sakura's lifeless body in Naruto's arms. Tsunade couldn't even talk. After they finished their report, and the funeral date was set, Ichigo decided to go see Anko as he needed someone to talk to. Ichigo knocked on Anko's door. He heard the sound of her crutches and knew she was coming. She opened the door smiling as she asked,

"Hey Strawberry! So how was your day?" her smile soon faded as she noticed Ichigo's somber expression. She let him in and hobbled over to the couch and sat down. Ichigo sat down next to her, and sighed. After several minutes of silence Ichigo said,

"We lost Sakura today." Anko was shocked but didn't show it much she just looked at him sympathetically, she knew how it felt to lose teammates. Ichigo then went quiet again, but Anko could tell that more happened than losing Sakura.

"Something else happened didn't it?" Anko asked. Ichigo sighed again and said,

"I killed one of the men that helped to destroy Karakura." Being an interrogation expert Anko could tell that this man did more than that.

"He did something else didn't he?" The Snake Princess asked. Ichigo was amazed by the intuition of his friend and replied in a dark voice,

"Yes. He did more. A lot more." Ichigo then got up and walked over to the window and looked out it. After a few moments he said,

"He killed the first girl I ever loved." Anko's eyes went wide.

"Her name was Rukia Kuchiki. She was pretty short for her age so I always called her "Midget", but that was before I started to have feeling for her. She had jet black hair, and violet eyes. She had a temper on her and could be pretty scary, but she was also very kind. When we started dating I was never happier then I was then. Then it happened. A traitor named Aizen made his move and tried to wipe out all of Karakura and rebuild it in his image." This made Anko think back to Orochimaru and his insane plans.

"He created an elite group know as the Espada. Grimmjow was the 6th member of that group and by far the most twisted." Ichigo continued.

"I battled him a few times to a stand still, but it was the last battle we had that changed everything. We fought for a day and half a night. He got the upper hand on me and was about finish me when Rukia attacked him from behind. He turned his attention to Rukia. She never stood a chance, and I was too weak to move. All I could do was watch as he killed her. If I had just tried harder I could have killed him long before he laid a finger on her! After I killed Aizen the entire village was in ruins. I could have stayed and help rebuild, but I couldn't stay there, to many memories. So me and my sister left." Ichigo finished his story with a hint of bitterness in his voice. Anko grabbed her crutches and walked over to Ichigo, and before he knew what was happening he was wrapped in a hug. He slowly turned him self around in her embrace to face her. He looked into her eyes and hugged her back. Anko then yawned a loud yawn. Ichigo looked over at the clock and saw that it was midnight. He picked her up and took her to her bed. He laid her down and noticed she was already asleep. Ichigo let himself out and headed home.

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 7: Grief and Happiness

It had been a month since Sakura Haruno was buried, and Naruto wasn't any different than he was the day she died. He was practically a zombie, only allowing a little of his old self to resurface when he was with Hinata. Sakura's death hit him hard but it wasn't so much the fact she died, it was that he thought that he could have saved her if he was their. Sakura had become one of his best friends over the years, and despite the fact she nearly sent him to the emergency on several occasions, he was going to miss her. Hinata was growing increasingly worried about Naruto, despite the fact he tried to act normal around her. Every time Hinata would try to talk to him he insisted there wasn't anything wrong, even though it was obvious to everyone else. Hinata was walking down the streets of Konoha one day and came across Ichigo.

"Hi Hinata. How have you been?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh fine. Ichigo I was w-wondering if you w-would do me a f-favor?" Hinata asked, looking at the ground like she was embarrassed. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and replied,

"If I can. What do you need?" Hinata the gulped and said,

"I w-was hoping y-you could t-talk to Naruto? Since Sakura died h-he just isn't h-himself anymore. He t-tries to h-hide it around me, b-but I'm a-afraid f-for him. I-it's like he's lost a-almost all e-emotion, and I c-can't stand to see h-him like this!" Soon after saying this Hinata began crying a little. Ichigo placed his hand on her shoulder and said,

"I'll do it. I know what it's like to lose a close friend like that. Maybe talking to him will help him to get through it faster, god knows I could have used someone to talk to after Karakura was wiped out. I'll go find him right now." Hinata smiled a little as Ichigo left to find Naruto. He went to the memorial stone. Sure enough Naruto was there, staring at Sakura's name. Ichigo walked up behind him and said,

"Naruto we need to talk." Naruto didn't even respond, he just stood there like a statue, not giving any sign he knew Ichigo was there. Ichigo sighed and said,

"Alright. I'll talk and you listen. I know what it's like to lose someone close. I lost my first love to Grimmjow, and I lost my entire village to Aizen. For a long while I was like you are now, not letting anyone in, only showing a little emotion every once in a while." Ichigo paused as he looked at Naruto who was still acting like he wasn't listening. Ichigo sighed again and continued,

"The only thing I could think of was killing Grimmjow. That was all I thought about every minute of everyday. But the one thing that kept me from being an emotionless shell was my sisters. Yuzu did everything to get me to talk or smile. Karin went with the tough love approach and just kept telling me I was being an idiot for beating myself over something I had no control over. While I didn't appreciate it then I understand she was just trying to help. But now you're doing the exact same thing I was. You're shutting out everything because you can't accept that what happened to Sakura would have happened even if you were there." At this Naruto turned quickly punched Ichigo square in the jaw.

"You don't know that!" Naruto yelled. Ichigo rubbed his jaw and replied,

"Naruto, it took both of use at our strongest, using our most powerful attacks to kill him. Do you honestly believe that you could have taken him all by yourself? Grimmjow was more than a match for me, even when I activate my Bankai. It took me a long time to get over what happened to me, and up until we killed Grimmjow I wasn't over it. But you're hurting Hinata. You still have your village and a girl that loves you and would do anything for you, which is more than I can say for myself." And with that ichigo left Naruto to mull his words over.

It was few days since Ichigo saw Naruto or Hinata. He hoped that his words reached the grieving blond. His hopes were proved right as he heard a yell that made him cringe.

"HEY ICHIGO!" He turned and saw Naruto running up to him, smiling like a madman.

"Grandma Tsunade wants us to to report to her office! I think we finally got a mission!" Ichigo looked at the blond curiously before replying,

"Alright. Let me go grab Zangetsu and I'll meet you there." Naruto nodded as Ichigo began to walk off.

"Ichigo." Naruto called out. Ichigo turned his head and looked through the corner of his eye at Naruto who simply said,

"Thanks." Ichigo smiled a little and nodded before running home to fetch his sword.

Ichigo arrived at Tsunade's office and saw that Naruto and Kakashi had beaten him.

"Well now that everyone is here, we'll get started. I realize you may not want to hear this but you need a new teammate." Naruto was about to say something but was stopped by Tsunade who said,

"This is not up for discussion Naruto. Now, while I'd normally have to search for a suitable replacement, someone has volunteered." Ichigo raised an eyebrow and asked,

"Well who is it?" Before Tsunade could answer, someone barged in and practically yelled,

"Hey Strawberry! Guess who just joined your team?" Everyone was speechless, as the purple haired kunoichi who stood there smiling widely.

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 8: Swords in the Mist

Ichigo was speechless. Anko Mitarashi was his new teammate. Sure they were great friends but Ichigo couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. When she hugged him that night he felt like she wanted something more than just to comfort him. Finally killing Grimmjow went a long way in helping him remove some of his baggage, but he still wasn't ready for a relationship. Still, since this wasn't up for discussion Ichigo had to act like nothing bothered him. Tsunade then spoke up to get rid of the awkward silence,

"Well, now that that's over with, I have a mission for you 3." Naruto asked curiously,

"Three? Kakashi-Sensei isn't coming?" Tsunade shook her head and replied,

"No, I need him on another assignment. Reports from the Land of Water indicate that Sasuke is hiding out there. Since we don't know how long he'll be there, you're to leave immediately. Also Ichigo is the team leader for this mission." Naruto was shocked and instantly said,

"Why not me? I'm the one that has the most experience with Sasuke!" Tsunade sighed and replied,

"It's that exact reason why you're not leading this mission Naruto. You're to close to this and if you did lead your emotions might get the better of you and put the others at risk." Naruto was about to argue but a glare from Tsunade quickly shut him up. Ichigo and his team went to grab a few items they might need and left for the Land of Water. On the way Naruto was abnormally quiet. Ichigo and Anko took note of this, but decided not to say anything. They soon reached the small abandoned town that Sasuke was last seen in. After searching the town from top to bottom they found no trace of the missing Uchiha. Ichigo noticed 2 things in his search though. An old mine in the west, and an old farm house in the east. The small band of ninja regrouped and Ichigo said,

"Alright. Since he isn't in the town, I think we should check out the mine and the farm house." Naruto then began to walk toward the direction of the house and said,

"Let's go and check the house first." Ichigo grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and said,

"Naruto you and Anko are going to check the house, I'm checking the mine." Naruto nearly glared at orange haired ninja before Ichigo cintinued,

"I know you don't like the idea but it just makes sense. If Uchiha is in the house he'll have to deal with you and Anko. If he's in the mine it'll be a tight soace and he won't be able to dodge Zangetsu very well. Since he's important to you I'll try not to kill him, but if I see a chance for a kill shot I'm taking it." Naruto slowly nodded and walked toward the old house. Anko stayed behind for a moment and said,

"Don't die Strawberry." Ichigo smirked and replied,

"Wouldn't dream of it." He then made a hand sign and said,

"Flash-Step Jutsu." Ichigo took a step and in the blink of an eye he disappeared. Anko smiled as followed Naruto.

Ichigo arrived at the entrance to the mine in a flash. Ichigo looked at the mine and unsheathed the giant sword strapped to his back, ready for anything. He grabbed an old lantern and entered the mine. He went further and further until he noticed light up ahead. He put out the lantern and proceeded cautiously. Ichigo entered the light filled room and saw the room had a large hole in the ceiling. Ichigo walked around the room and saw a sleeping bag and a campfire that was still smoking. Ichigo readied Zangetsu as he felt another presence in the large room. Suddenly he heard a voice say,

"I recognize you. Ichigo "The Reaper" Kurosaki. You and that sword have quite the reputation. And I see you're wearing the Leaf symbol. Hn, I guess you're here to capture me?" Ichigo turned and saw a boy his age with with jet black hair and matching eyes. Ichigo smirked and said,

"So I take it you're Sasuke Uchiha? You know you have a friend looking for ya? I promised him I'd try not to kill you, but I have a feeling you won't give much choice. Am I right?" Sasuke drew the katana from behind his back and charged it with his Chidori, as he said,

"Hn, Naruto always was naive. It's been a long time since my sword had a proper work out, and looks like it will be disappointed yet again." Ichigo just cracked his neck as he said,

"Don't be so sure. I've read your file and I've face tougher." Sasuke just slowly walked forward, then began sprinting, soon he was running full speed toward Ichigo. Ichigo gripped Zangetsu tight and roared as he charged toward the missing nin, and then the sound of steel colliding echoed throughout the mine shafts.


	9. Chapter 9

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 9: Hollow Mask VS Curse Mark

Both combatants were locked in a vicious stalemate. The Uchiha was effortlessly dodging Ichigo's sword, while Ichigo was barely avoiding Sasuke's. The orange haired ninja then noticed something odd. His opponent's eyes had gone from black to red. Ichigo then remembered something he read in Sasuke's file. The Uchiha's had a Kekkei Genkai called the Sharingan, that let the user perfectly copy jutsu and predict another persons movements.

"You're using that Sharingan right?" Ichigo asked as he blocked the incoming blade.

"Yes. I can map out your movements before you make them. That puts you at somewhat of a disadvantage." Sasuke boasted in a deadly calm voice. Ichigo jumped back and said,

"In that case I'll just have to start moving faster!" Sasuke maintained a blank face, but raised an eyebrow at this statment. Ichigo pointed his massive sword toward the Uchiha and said,

"Bankai." And an explosion of chakra blew dirt around the room. When the room cleared, Ichigo stood there with a black bladed katana that had a small chain attached to the end of the hilt.

"Tensa Zangetsu." Ichigo said, as he gripped his sword tightly. Sasuke simply stared and said,

"Is that it? That big show and that's all this Bankai of yours does? Pathetic. I'm ending this now." Sasuke the got ready to charge forward, but before he even moved, Ichigo was in front of him with his sword aimed at his neck. Sasuke's face went from emotionless to shocked. Ichigo smirked as he backed away said,

"You were saying? My Bankai boosts my speed drastically, so I think you might want to consider surrendering." Sasuke then frowned as he said,

"You may be faster but that doesn't change anything." The Uchiha then charged forward, but was only met by a breeze as the Reaper of Karakura disappeared. Ichigo then began running in a circle around the rogue ninja, leaving a blurry after image of himself with every move.

"Whats the matter? To fast for ya?" Ichigo taunted as he stopped running a a distance away from the Uchiha. Sasuke had enough and made a hand sign before saying,

"Fire Style: Grand Fire Ball Jutsu." after which, Sasuke blew a gigantic ball of flame toward the Reaper. Ichigo began running and using the air current from his rapid movement redirected the fire ball back at Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged but his right leg and arm got burned. Sasuke yelled in pain as his flesh sizzled. Sasuke decided it was time to get serious and activated his curse mark. Black markings appeared all over his body and quickly formed together turning his skin gray, his eyes golden and making large hand like wings sprout from his back.

"Now you die." Sasuke said as he ran toward Ichigo. The Reaper was surprised at the speed the Uchiha now possessed. While Sasuke was still slower than him, it was making things a little tougher for Ichigo. Ichigo decided to take thing up a notch and kicked Sasuke across the room. When Sasuke got up he saw that Ichigo now had yellow and black eyes and wore a skull like mask with red stripes. Sasuke could feel the massive amount of chakra Ichigo was giving off. Sasuke charged but IChigo moved faster than ever before and got behind him. Ichigo kicked Sasuke into a wall and got ready to end this fight.

"GETSUGA TENSHO!" Ichigo said as he swung his sword at the monster of a ninja and sent a gigantic moon shaped wave of chakra toward him. The Uchiha managed to get out the way but the attack severed one of the wings on his back. Sasuke fell on his knees in pain, as he bleed from the large wound on his back. Ichigo then ran over and stabbed Sasuke through the back. Sasuke felt his body go numb and he fell on his back as he returned to normal. A very exhausted and unmasked Ichigo stood over him.

"You're not gonna die. The way I stabbed you will just paralyze you for the next 6 or 7 months. It depends on if you get a good doctor." Sasuke could only scowl as the orange haired ninja wrapped his wounds and carried him out.

Ichigo made his way to the town were his team walked up. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw a body draped over Ichigo's shoulder.

"Don't worry he's not dead, just paralyzed." Naruto smiled wide and Anko smirked as she said,

"You look like hell. But at least you got the job done." Ichigo smiled tiredly and with that they left for home.

It was a few days after they got back and Tsunade had begun searching to remove the Curse Mark from Sasuke. It took a few weeks but Tsunade was ready to try to remove it. Naruto and Ichigo waited nervously in the waiting room of the hospital. Naruto had been there alone, but when Ichigo heard about what was happening from Shizune, he had to go and keep his friend company. It took 15 hours before Tsunade would let Naruto in. Ichigo wanted to give him and Sasuke some privacy but, but Naruto insisted he come with him. But when they walked in they nearly passed out. In the bed was what looked like a 4 year old boy that looked like Sasuke!

"Granny. What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto asked dumbfounded, never taking his eyes off the sleeping boy. Tsunade gave an uneasy groan and said,

"Well..."

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	10. Chapter 10

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 10: A New Family

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED?" Naruto yelled. Tsunade sighed as she said,

"Like I said. I was removing the Curse Mark when something happened. I don't know what exactly, but I'm assuming it was one of Orochimaru's fail-safes." Naruto calmed down and asked,

"So how long until he's back to normal?" Tsunade replied,

"Well he's about 4 years old physically, so about 12 years." Naruto's eyes widened and yelled again,

"12 YEARS?" Tsunade clamped her hand over Naruto's mouth and said,

"Yes. Now would you stop yelling? I have a patient trying to sleep in the next room." Naruto nodded and Tsunade released his mouth. After a few moments of silence Naruto asked,

"Well what's gonna happen now?" Tsunade leaned on the wall and replied,

"Since he's this young he'll need to have round the clock protection, in case Orochimaru gets wind of this." Naruto and Ichigo nodded as the recently de-aged Sasuke Uchiha walked out of his room.

"I'm thirsty." The young Uchiha said in a shy voice. Everyone turned their attention to the young boy.

"Ichigo take him to the fountain down the hall. Naruto and I need to finish discussing this." Ichigo nodded and lead the boy down the hall. Ichigo felt very awkward. After all, it was only a few days ago this boy was trying to kill him. The boy kept staring at Ichigo's orange hair, making the Reaper feel even more uncomfortable. After the young Uchiha had his drink and they started to head back to his room, Sasuke spoke up and said,

"I like your hair." Ichigo was shocked but didn't show it. It was quite clear that whatever happened to Sasuke Uchiha, he didn't remember anything.

"Um, thanks?" Ichigo said in an unsure voice. They reached his room were Tsunade and Naruto still stood. Tsunade looked at Sasuke and said,

"I want you to go right back to bed." little Sasuke nodded and went back into his room. Tsunade then looked at Ichigo and said,

"Given his current condition, he'll all the care a 4 year old needs." Ichigo slowly nodded, but he had no idea where she was going with this.

"So after discussing the matter with Naruto, I decided that it would be in Sasuke's best interest for him to stay with you." Ichigo was speechless. The Hokage wanted him to take in the boy that only 4 days ago tried to kill him!

"Why me? Why can't he stay with Naruto? They're supposed to be friends right?" Tsunade sighed and replied,

"Sasuke needs a family, and with you and your sisters he'll get it. And you can't say no because this is now a mission." Ichigo sulked in defeat, but Tsunade quickly added,

"Don't be so down. I'm also assigning Anko to help you." Ichigo perked up a bit, at least he wouldn't have to do it alone. So after a few moments of silent thought Ichigo agreed, although he didn't have a choice to begin with. So after Tsunade went to create a back story for Sasuke as this was going to be very hard to explain to others, and it would help ensure Orochimaru wouldn' t find out what happened, Ichigo and Naruto went inside Sasuke's room to see how much he knew about himself or about what was happening. Both ninja walked up to the boy. Naruto was the first to speak,

"Hey. Do you know your name?" Sasuke shook his head no.

"Your name is Sasuke. Do you now who I am?" Naruto asked. Again Sasuke shook his head no. Naruto was a little disappointed tried to hide it. Ichigo then stepped in and said,

"Listen kid, you're gonna be staying with me for a while. Is that okay with you?" Sasuke slowly nodded.

Soon Sasuke was released and sent to live with Ichigo and his sisters. To keep Sasuke's identity a secret for now, they said he was an orphan Ichigo found on a mission and was too young to remember his family, which was actually true to an extent. Ichigo's sisters had been briefed on the situation. While Yuzu was happy about it, Karin was a little skeptical about the whole thing. Ichigo was still feeling awkward around the 4 year old Sasuke, who had been renamed Kurosaki as Ichigo had adopted him against his own will. After putting little Sasuke down for a nap Ichigo walked into his living room and saw Anko sitting on his couch.

"Where have you been? I've had to deal with him all by myself." Ichigo asked in a very annoyed tone. Anko just smiled and replied,

"Sorry, but I had to get my stuff." Ichigo then noticed the boxes around the room. It soon dawned on him that she was moving in, and he had a feeling Tsunade was behind this. Ichigo was about to ask where she planned on sleeping, as there were only 3 rooms and they were all taken.

"I'll camp out on the couch, it does fold out right?" Anko said as if she was reading his mind. Ichigo simply nodded to answer her question.

"Good. Now how about getting that stuff unpack huh?" Anko asked as she stretched out on the couch and clicked on the TV. Ichigo groaned, he could tell this was going to be a major pain.

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	11. Chapter 11

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 11: Sasuke Kurosaki

It had already been a week since Sasuke Uchiha was turned into a 4 year old. It had been 5 days since he was adopted and became Sasuke Kurosaki. And it had been 2 days since Anko Mitarashi moved into the Kurosaki household. But for Ichigo Kurosaki, the entire thing was a blur. There he was, a father at 16 and the child in question wasn't even his! Add in the fact that the best friend he had in Konoha was basically assigned to be the kid's mother, and Ichigo was almost ready to scream! Ichigo felt like he was losing all control of his life. Sure nothing had ever really gone the way he would of liked, if it did Karakura wouldn't have been destroyed and Rukia would still be alive. But Ichigo still always liked to think he had at least some say in what happened in his life. In all honesty Ichigo felt screwed over.

One night Ichigo laid in his bed wide awake, thinking about this turn of events. He looked over at the clock and it read 1:30. Ichigo groaned, and rolled over trying to get at least some sleep. After 30 minutes Ichigo finally fell asleep, only to be awoken by the sound of his door opening. Ichigo slowly rolled over and saw little Sasuke standing in front of him. Ichigo sat up in his bed and looked at the boy. He didn't say anything. He just stood there looking at him, which was starting to creep Ichigo out.

"I had a bad dream." He finally said. Ichigo looked at him at him curiously. That was the most he'd said since he got out of the hospital.

"Can I stay with you tonight?" little Sasuke asked in a slight whimper. Ichigo sighed, how could he say no? Ichigo turned back the covers and little Sasuke crawled in. Ichigo tried to make some distance between himself and the boy, but every time he did Sasuke just scooted closer. Ichigo decided to give up as soon as he was at the edge of his bed. After a few moments Ichigo was almost back to sleep.

"Goodnight, Daddy." Little Sasuke said as he drifted off to sleep. Ichigo's eyes shot wide open at hearing this. Sure he was legally Sasuke's father now, but the thought of being called "Daddy" never even entered his mind! Ichigo yawned and then decided that it was too late for thinking and was soon fast asleep.

Ichigo woke up to the sun shining in his face. Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, not really wanting to wake up. He looked over at his clock and it read 7:00. The orange headed ninja groaned, he really wanted more sleep but knew it was time to start the day. He started to get up but felt something pulling on his bed shirt. He looked down and saw little Sasuke laying as close as possible to him, clutching his shirt tightly. Ichigo couldn't help but smile, he almost hated to disturb him. But in any case he had to get up, and he needed some breakfast. Ichigo slowly and carefully pried Sasuke's small hands from his shirt and eased out of bed. He almost made it to the door before he heard,

"Daddy?" Ichigo turned and saw little Sasuke sitting up in his bed. Ichigo, though still not used to being called "Daddy", smiled, and replied,

"Time to get up. Let's get some breakfast alright?" Sasuke nodded and followed Ichigo into the kitchen. Ichigo noticed that Yuzu had already left for school and Karin for the Academy. He also noticed that Anko was still asleep. After making breakfast himself and Sasuke, Ichigo noticed Anko had woken up. She sleepily walked into the kitchen and sat down to eat. After breakfast, Ichigo got dressed and planned on getting some training in before heading to Tsunade's office to see if there are any missions that need doing. Ichigo walked to the door, but was stopped by Sasuke who said,

"Can I go with you Daddy?" Ichigo sighed. Anko was already gone, and since he didn't see any harm in the little guy watching him train, he replied,

"Sure kid." And with that they left for the training grounds.

As they walked down the streets of Konoha, Ichigo got a few odd looks but ignored them. They soon reached the training grounds, where Naruto and Hinata were sparring.

'If that's a date with Naruto, I'd hate to be in Hinata's shoes.' Ichigo thought as he walked up. Naurto and Hinata stopped and greeted Ichigo.

"Hey Ichigo. Hi Sasuke." Naruto said as he walked up. Sasuke hid under Ichigo's coat. Naruto frowned slightly, he never knew Sasuke was so shy when he was younger.

"Hinata do you mind watching Sasuke while me and Naruto do some training?" Ichigo asked the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata started to look a little worried, before Ichigo added,

"Relax, we'll take it easy." Ichigo had to encourage Sasuke a little but he went with Hinata to a nearby bench and watched the 2 ninja train.

After an hour both ninja were ready to call it quits for the day. However as they were about to leave, they heard the voice of a little girl cry out,

"KENNY I FOUND HIM!" Everyone turned and saw a little girl that looked around 8 running toward them, followed by a 7 foot tall man that wore an eye patch and had long spiky hair with bells on the ends.

"KUROSAKI! IT'S FIGHTIN' TIME!" Ichigo quickly grabbed Sasuke and made a hand sign and yelled,

"FLASH STEP JUTSU!" and in a flash he was gone. The large man stopped as Ichigo disappeared. The man looked over at Naruto and said,

"Well since Kurosaki's gone, you'll have to do Blondie!" Naruto then gulped as the monster of a man lunged at him.

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	12. Chapter 12

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 12: The Ultimate Fight!

The hulking man lunged toward Naruto with an old battered sword in his hand. Naruto dodged and asked,

"Who are you?" The man smiled maniacally and replied,

"The names Kenpachi Zaraki!" Naruto then dodged a barrage of sword swipes, though barely. Hinata was about to step in and help but was stopped when Naruto yelled at her,

"HINATA! Find Ichigo and tell him to get his ass back here!" Hinata could only nod as she ran of to find the orange haired ninja.

Kenpachi was laughing insanely as he kept swinging his sword at the blond Jinchuriki who was having a tough time avoiding the old blade, as the pink haired little girl cheered on the giant lunatic. Naruto jumped back and threw 3 shuriken that struck Kenpachi in the chest. The spiky haired maniac just laughed and pulled them out and ran forward to continue his onslaught.

"Come on kid! I know you got more to ya than this! Quit holdin' back and fight like ya mean it!" Kenpachi yelled. Naruto leaped away and made a hand sign as he said,

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu." and 150 Naruto's appeared. Kenpachi's smile widened as he said,

"Yeah that's better!" Naruto's eyes widened as the man easily plowed through the army of clones. Naruto and 4 of his remaining clones charged at him. One of the clones punched Kenpachi, as the original Naruto leaped on his back, bounded off and performed a set of frontal somersaults. The shadow clones then consecutively kicked Kenpachi into the air with corresponding shouts,

"NA! RU! TO!" the real Naruto then jumped into the air and got behind Kenpachi as he yelled,

"UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" And kicked Kenpachi with all his might back down into the ground. Naruto dispersed his clones and began to walk away when he saw that Kenpachi wasn't getting up. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a deep laugh from behind him. He turned and saw Kenpachi standing there, smiling a deadly smile. Kenpachi roared with laughter as he charged toward Naruto again. Naruto dodged and kicked the huge man hard in the ribs. Kenpachi chuckled and back handed Naruto into the dirt. Naruto rolled away, as Kenpachi drove his sword into the spot Naruto was just in. Naruto then decided to finish this fight. He made a shadow clone, and the clone began twisting and spinning chakra in his hand. Naruto then charged toward Kenpachi and yelled,

"RASENGAN!" Kenpachi smiled and charged forward. Kenpachi swung his sword at Naruto, who ducked it and slammed his Rasengan into the hulking man's chest. Kenpachi was sent flying backwards into a tree. Naruto stood breathless and said,

"Fight's over." to Naruto's amazement Kenpachi got and said,

"Why? IT'S JUST GETTING SO DAMN FUN!" Kenpachi then pulled of his eye patch and his chakra levels went through the roof, making a gigantic explosion even larger than Ichigo's Bankai! Kenpachi smiled at Naruto and said,

"Now time for some real fun!" Naruto just gulped as Kenpachi charged once again.

Hinata soon found Ichigo and Sasuke on the other side of the village. She walked up to Ichigo and said,

"I-Ichigo! Y-you have t-to come b-back! Naruto n-needs help!" Ichigo covered Sasuke's ears and calmly replied,

"Hell no. Naruto can handle himself. I've fought Kenpachi before and it's not an experience I'd like to relive." Hinata just stared at him, at a loss for words. Ichigo sighed and said,

"Look Kenpachi's nuts. He was one of the strongest, if not the strongest ninja in all of Karakura. He's obsessed with fighting, and anyone who can give him a good fight. He might not use jutsu at all, but he's still extremely powerful. Point is Naruto will be fine. He may wind up in the emergency room, but he won't die I'm sure." Hinata was till extremely worried and did something no one could have predicted. She punched Ichigo out! She then grabbed him and Sasuke and ran back to Naruto.

When she got there she found an extremely exhausted Naruto walking away from the training grounds. As she got closer she saw Kenpachi being told of by Lady Tsunade .

"AND IF I EVER SEE YOU IN THIS VILLAGE AGAIN YOU'LL BE IN PRISON SO FAST THOSE BELLS WON'T EVEN JINGLE!" Tsunade yelled. Kenpachi just grumbled as the little pink haired girl jumped on his shoulder.

"Bye Whiskers! It was fun!" The little girl yelled at Naruto as she and Kenpachi left. Naruto then saw Ichigo draped over Hinata's shoulder and asked,

"What happened to him?" Hinata blushed a little and replied,

"O-oh he j-just had an a-accident." Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't question it as he and Hinata took Ichigo and Sasuke back home.

**Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 13: Snakes and Hollows

It was a 2 hours after Naruto's fight with the deranged Kenpachi Zaraki, and it was also 2 hours before Ichigo woke up from Hinata's sucker punch. Ichigo woke in his apartment, lying on his couch. His head was killing him and he knew who to blame. Ichigo knew why Hinata did it, she was worried about Naruto, but knowing the reason behind the assault didn't ease his aching head. Ichigo groaned and went to get up but saw little Sasuke lying on top of him. Just at that moment Anko decided to barge in.

"Hey Ichigo you home yet?" Anko might as well of yelled. This caused Ichigo's head ache to flare up, and also wake little Sasuke. Anko looked at the sight and nearly busted out laughing. Here was the famed "Reaper of Karakura" with a little boy lying on top of him. If anyone else saw this it would pretty much ruin Ichigo's fearsome reputation. Sasuke got up and ran over to Anko and latched onto her leg as he happily said,

"Mommy's home!" Anko's urge to laugh soon faded as what Sasuke called her sunk in. Ichigo got up and smirked a little as he said,

"Yeah, get used to it." Anko was at a loss for words. little Sasuke looked up at her and asked,

"Is something wrong Mommy?" Anko looked down at the raven haired boy and stammered out,

"Uh, y-yeah. Can you wait here for a minute? I need to talk to Daddy." Sasuke nodded and turned on the TV to watch cartoons, as Anko walked into the bathroom and saw Ichigo who was taking some aspirin for his head. Anko leaned on the door frame and said,

"You mind telling me what that was?" Ichigo looked at he curiously for a moment but after getting her meaning replied,

"What did you think was gonna happen? He thinks we're his parents, and we are since that's basically what this assignment is." Anko was about to make a crack but didn't, she knew Ichigo was right. Still it was going to be a while before she was used to being called "Mommy" though Ichigo wasn't exactly used to the "Daddy" thing either so they both needed to adapt. They then heard the door open.

"HEY ICHIGO! YOU AWAKE YET?" It was Naruto. Ichigo groaned as he and Anko walked into the living room. There was Naruto sitting on the couch with Sasuke watching some kids show. Naruto saw Ichigo and walked over to him and said,

"What happened? Why'd you bail and leave me with that psycho?" Ichigo sighed and replied,

"Sorry. I've fought him before and after fighting him for yourself, can you really blame me?" Naruto thought for a moment and repiled,

"No, I guess not. Hey, can I take Sasuke to get some ramen?" Ichigo said it was okay and Naruto left with Sasuke.

Naruto and Sasuke walked down the streets, and Sasuke was very quiet which bothered Naruto somewhat. Sure Sasuke was never the most talkative person, even back when they were 12, but Naruto had hoped he would talk at least some. Soon Ichiraku's Ramen was in sight, but as they got closer Naruto felt something hit the back of his neck. Naruto began to black out as he heard Sasuke yell. Naruto soon woke up in an alley with Ichigo shaking him awake.

"NARUTO WAKE UP! SASUKE'S GONE!" Naruto eyes shot wide open and shouted,

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Ichigo pulled him to his feet and let go of him as he said,

"Someone disguised as an ANBU snuck into the village and took Sasuke." Naruto growled. He let Sasuke go again, and he wasn't about to let this guy get away.

"We've got a search party being formed so let's head out." Ichigo said as he ran out of the alley. Naruto followed him to the gates of Konoha and saw Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, and Neji. After Ichigo fully briefed them on the situation they headed out.

In an old cave a masked man carried the trembling Sasuke toward a fire lit room. Sasuke was scared out of his mind and the quiet masked man wasn't making him feel any better. The man entered the dimly lit room with Sasuke hung over his shoulder. The man sat Sasuke down and stood him in front of a man whose face was shadowed. The shadowed man held out a pale hand and said in a raspy voice,

"Welcome back Sasuke."

**PLEASE REVIEW! And guess who that is? **


	14. AUTHOR ALERT!

Okay guys, I have to tell you this. I am putting this story on hiatus. Now I am going to finish it, it's just that I've kind of run out of ideas for it. I know basically what I want to do with it, but I can't really figure out anything that would make any sense story-wise. So I'm going to take a break on this. Expect a new chapter in about a couple of weeks at the least or a month at the most, it depends on if I can think of anything. Sorry to you guys that are following and review this story.


	15. Chapter 15

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Author's Note: Hey guys! The hiatus is now over and I thank all of you for being patient with me. I hope this chapter was worth the wait! Also be prepared for slightly implied sex. Oh and I probably should have made this clear earlier, Anko is a year older than Ichigo in this story.

Chapter 14: The New Sasuke Retrieval Mission

Ichigo, Naruto, and company searched for hours but found no trace of Sasuke or his captor. It was midnight before everyone managed to convince Naruto it was time to head home and try again the next day. Naruto didn't want to though, he was determined to get Sasuke back again. After 30 minutes of arguing with Ichigo, Kiba, and Neji, Hinata managed to talk some sense into him. She pointed out that since there wasn't anything to track that it wouldn't hurt to go home and get some food and sleep. Naruto reluctantly agreed but said they he was heading out first thing in the morning to continue the search.

Ichigo headed back to his apartment. He opened the door and saw Anko laying on the fold out couch watching TV. Ichigo walked over to the fridge and pulled out a can of soda. Anko got up and walked over to him.

"So what happened? Since Sasuke's not with you I assume you didn't find anything?" Anko asked as she leaned on the wall looking at a very tired Ichigo. The orange haired Reaper just sighed loudly as he took a sip from his soda.

"Seven hours of searching and we didn't find shit. Who ever took Sasuke just vanished of the face of the earth. It took us an extra half hour to talk Naruto into calling it quits for the day." Ichigo then walked over to the living room and plopped down in a chair.

"Where's Yuzu and Karin?" Ichigo asked. Anko grabbed her own soda and replied,

"They said something about a sleep over with their friends." Ichigo sighed and said,

"I'm so tired." Anko walked over to her pull out bed and sat down as she said,

"You should be, you've been running through the woods for seven hours." Ichigo leaned back in his chair and gave a heavy sigh and said,

"No I'm tired of THIS. I'm tired of being a ninja." Anko's eyes suddenly widened at Ichigo's words. Of all the time she'd known him he's never said anything to her about this.

"I became a ninja so I could protect my family and the people I cared about. But when the time came for me to do it I failed. Aizen wiped out Karakura and I couldn't do a damned thing to stop it. Sure I killed him for it but that doesn't bring everyone back does it? I don't even know why I do this anymore." Ichigo ranted in a tired voice. Anko looked at him in complete shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she knew that it was making her mad.

"Listen Strawberry, I don't know all about what happened in Karakura and I'm not going to make you say something you don't want to but let me tell you his. You wanna know why you're still doing this? It's your sisters. Sure you lost your village, which I'm not saying wasn't hard to deal with, but your sisters have become your driving force. And maybe their the only thing that's keeping you sane." Ichigo just looked at her with a blank expression on his face.

"Okay so maybe you're right. Maybe my sisters are the only thing keeping me sane, but that still doesn't tell me why I'm still a ninja. I haven't made a deference in anyone's life in years." Ichigo said in the same exhausted voice. Anko then glared daggers at him and said,

"What the hell are you talking about? You're the first person in years that has show me any kind of genuine friendship and you brought Sasuke back, something Naruto has been trying to do for years. You've made more of a difference in our lives then anyone. And you're also the most caring person I've met, though you don't always show it. And it's because of all that, that I love you." Ichigo's blank expression then became one of surprise as what Anko just said registered in his brain.

"What did you just say?" Ichigo asked in an unsure voice as he sat up straight, his gaze still on Anko. Anko got up and walked over Ichigo and sat on his lap and pulled him into a deep kiss and replied,

"I said I love you." Ichigo was thunderstruck, and was feeling a million emotions at once. But somewhere in that sea of conflicting feelings he felt something he hadn't felt since Rukia died, love. He was truly in love with this woman and he didn't feel the least bit guilty about it. Ichigo then returned her kiss and said,

"I love you too." Anko smiled as the both began kissing passionately. The then got up and went to Ichigo's room. The both fell onto Ichigo's bed and tossed and turned all night together.

Ichigo woke up to the sun hitting him in the face. He looked around to make sure last night wasn't a very realistic dream. He then notice the warmth coming from the right side of his bed. He looked over and saw Anko lying next to him. He then noticed that aside from the sheets covering her she was completely naked. Ichigo smiled as he saw the content and peaceful look on her face. Ichigo then heard his front door slam open and a voice called out yelling,

"ICHIGO GET UP WE GOT A LEAD ON SASUKE!" Ichigo knew immediately that it was Naruto. He looked over at the now wide awake Anko and then called back,

"Okay let me get dressed and I'll be right there!" Naruto said he to meet him at the front gates as soon as possible. Ichigo put on his tattered coat, baggy black pants, white T-shirt, tied his white forehead protector around his waste like a belt, and strapped Zangetsu to his back. He kissed Anko goodbye and headed out.

**Well? Was that worth the wait? PLEASE REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 16

The Strawberry Ninja

Naruto and all related characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Bleach and all related characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 15: In the Snakes Den

Ichigo followed Naruto to the Hokage Tower. Entering Tsunade's office they saw Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. Tsunade looked over at Naruto and Ichigo and asked,

"Where's Anko?" Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head and said,

"Well I got so excited, that I kinds forgot to tell her to come." Tsunade's eye twitched as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Naruto, Anko is a member of your team, so when I tell you to get your team I mean her too!" Tsuande said, starting out soft but ending with a yell. Naruto flinched but quickly said,

"Don't worry I'll go get her!" and was about to leave the room but Tsunade said,

"Unless you can get her here in 5 seconds, nevermind." Ichigo smirked a little and made a hand sign before saying,

"Flash-step Jutsu." Ichigo then disappeared leaving a gust of wind and the office door wide open. Five seconds later Ichigo returned with Anko over his shoulder. He sat Anko down and smirked at the dumbstruck expressions of everyone in the room. Naruto snapped out of his amazement and said,

"Wow. You gotta teach me that!" Tsunade then yelled,

"FORGET IT NARUTO! We have more pressing matters to attend to!" Tsunade opened a file and began reading it,

"It seems as though Sasuke's captor had a partner working with him, and that he failed to alert his accomplice that their target was in custody. The partner was quickly arrested and placed into an interrogation cell. It took five hours to get him to talk, and talk he did. He said that Orochimaru had anticipated Sasuke rebelling and placed a special version of his curse mark on him, so that if anyone tried to remove it he would become a helpless four year old and thus easier to reclaim. He also revealed Orochimaru's location and went on to say that Orochimaru is planning on returning Sasuke to his real age, but not before brainwashing him into being the perfect slave."

Tsunade finished, and saw the very clear anger on Naruto's face. Tsunade then gave them a map leading to Orochimaru's base and sent them out.

Soon they reached the base. It looked like an old mining complex on the outside, but Anko knew that a knew that he had one of his sadistic labs set up inside it. The 6 man team entered the mine shaft. It was dark, the only light coming from the few dim torches sparsely scattered on the walls. They walked in a single file line. Ichigo was in front with Zangetsu drawn, Naruto right behind Ichigo, Anko behind Naruto, Hinata was in the middle with her Byakugan activated, with Shino, Kiba and Akamaru bringing up the rear. It was slow going, making sure they didn't attract any attention to themselves. Soon they reached a very large room, with a few dim light around the room. There they saw a 16 year old Sasuke that had a zombie expression on his face with Orochimaru sitting on a throne behind him. Orochimaru started to chuckle as he said,

"Oh, look Sasuke, some old friends that want to say hello. Why don't you make them feel welcome?" Sasuke then activated his Sharingan and rushed toward them with a sword drawn. Ichigo blocked the sword and punched Sasuke a few yards away. Sasuke slowly got up and just stared at the group with burning red eyes.

"COME ON SASUKE SNAP OUT OF IT!" Naruto said as Sasuke rushed toward the group again. The group tried to stop him but a few trap doors opened beneath them, causing them and Sasuke to fall into them. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino landed in different parts of a large maze. Ichigo, Anko, and Sasuke landed in some kind of large cavern. And Naruto landed in what looked like a large arena. Naruto slowly got up and looked around at his surroundings. He then heard footsteps coming from the large entrance of the arena. Naruto then saw a man with ghostly pale skin, haunting green eyes, green tear like markings under his eyes, charcoal black hair, and what looked like half a bone like helmet on the left side of his face.

"So you are the trash Orochimaru spoke of? Prepare to die." The man said in an uninterested, emotionless, almost bored voice. The man drew the sword on his hip and charged. Naruto got into a fighting stance and drew some kunai and also charged forward. Soon the sound of clashing metal echoed throughout the arena

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	17. AUTHOR ALERT AND A CHALLENGE

Sorry to do this to you guys, but I'm putting this story on indefinite hiatus. I've just written myself into a corner and I have no idea where I'm going with this story any more so I'm ending right here. Again I am very sorry to all of you and I really do wish I could keep going with it but I can't. I can however issue a challenge to everyone who has this story on their favorites or has it on their Story Alert. I challenge you to write a story like this one, with a Bleach character being in the Naruto universe. The rules are as follows:

1. You cannot mention Soul Society

2. You can choose any character from Bleach you want but they must become or already be a Konoha ninja

3. Only these pairings for male Bleach characters are allowed: Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Karin, Anko, Shizune, or Kushina(Naruto's mom in the off chance you didn't know)

4. Only these pairings for female Bleach characters are allowed: Naruto, Rock Lee, Gaara, Sai, or Kiba

5. If you choose a character with a Hollow Mask you must either explain it as a Kekkei Genkai or the result of experimentation

6. If you choose Espada or Arrancar you can still give them the Hollow mask remains but not the Hollow holes

7. If you want you can adopt this story but be sure to send me a message saying you want to for my permission

So are you up to the challenge?


End file.
